Michael Carey, US General in charge of nuclear missiles, sacked amid misbehaviour allegations

Updated
Sun Oct 13 00:11:36 EST 2013

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US Air Force Major General Michael Carey has been under investigation for months.

Reuters: US Air Force

The Pentagon has sacked a high-ranking US general in charge of hundreds of the country's nuclear weapons, citing a "loss of trust and confidence" in his leadership and judgement.

Major General Michael Carey was serving as the commander of the 20th Air Force, and has been under investigation for several months over allegations of personal misbehaviour.

The Air Force did not identify what exactly General Carey did wrong, but said he was not being accused of sexual misconduct, adultery, gambling or drug use.

"It's unfortunate that I've had to relieve an officer who's had an otherwise distinctive career spanning 35 years of commendable service," Lieutenant General James Kowalski, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, said in a statement.

The Air Force said the investigation did not relate to operational matters or readiness of America's nuclear missiles and there was no indication of criminal activity.

"There was misbehaviour such that [his superior] decided that it didn't exemplify the trust and responsibilities required of a commander who was responsible for these nuclear forces," said Air Force spokesman Brigadier General Les Kodlick.

"The nuclear deterrence mission is one of great focus and discipline. Personal behaviour is vital to that, especially from a commander."

The US Air Force's management of the three intercontinental ballistic missile wings has come under intense scrutiny in recent months after 19 missile crew members at an air base in North Dakota were decertified after a poor showing in a March inspection.

In August, another air base in Montana got a failing grade in its inspection, which cited "tactical-level errors during one of several exercises".

The Air Force denies the inspections had anything to do with General Carey's removal, which comes just two days after the Navy fired the deputy commander of US Strategic Command - which oversees America's space operations - due to gambling issues.

Vice Admiral Tim Giardina had allegedly been caught using counterfeit gambling chips at a casino.

Last week, another two Marine generals were fired for failing to properly defend a base in Afghanistan from a deadly 2012 Taliban attack.